Women’s Business Expo Coming to Melbourne Aug. 2
Julie Colombino, CEO of REBUILD Globally, Is Keynote Speaker
MELBOURNE, FLA.—Current topics of interest and motivating speakers will be the order of the day at the Sixth Annual Space Coast Women’s Business Expo, coming to the Melbourne Hilton Rialto Aug. 2, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Keynote speaker will be Julie Colombino, CEO and founder of REBUILD Globally, a nonprofit social enterprise.
The event, “Build, Grow and Make a Difference,” is expected to be a motivational day filled with presentations, vendor demonstrations and information, giveaways, a silent auction, promotions and networking opportunities. It is open to all women and men.
Beth Gitlin, director of the Women’s Business Center at Florida Institute of Technology, is the event organizer. “Our goal is to provide numerous opportunities to strengthen business practices and enhance the economic climate of the Space Coast,” she said.
The first morning panel session is “Entrepreneur’s Toolbox: 3 Essential Building Blocks for Business,” moderated by Leslie Hielema, vice president of Florida Tech’s Department of Extended Studies site in Orlando. Panelists will be Wendy Fisher, owner of Dede’s, a shoe and apparel store in Vero Beach; Carol Craig, CEO/CFO of Craig Technologies; and Chris Conneen, founder and CEO of Pizza Gallery & Grill in Melbourne.
A second morning panel discussion is “Entrepreneur’s Garden: Create a Winning Mobile Strategy,” moderated by Carol Morgan Cox, owner of InterMedia Solutions. Panelists will be Kerry Gorgone, speaker, writer, attorney and educator specializing in new media and law; Amy Jantzer, vice president at Echo, a mobile application development company in Orlando; and Susie Steiner, founder and CEO of Executran Services Inc., a full service freight brokerage.
Colombino’s keynote afternoon address will be “Entrepreneur’s Spirit: Social Entrepreneurism.” Colombino established “REBUILD Globally” in response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake to provide dignified, living-wage employment to survivors by recycling tires into handcrafted sandals.
The event’s main sponsors are the Women’s Business Center (WBC) at Florida Tech, the American Business Women’s Association (ABWA), Everything Brevard.com, Wells Fargo and TD Bank. Additional sponsors include Craig Technologies, Aesthetic Plastic Surgery Center, Florida Power and Light, Diaz Center for Plastic Surgery, Prudential Sterling Properties and Dyer Mortgage Group.Sponsorship and vendor opportunities are still available.
The cost is $45 per person before July 19 and $55 after that date; lunch is included. For more information contact The Women’s Business Center at Florida Tech at wbc@fit.edu or call (321) 674-7007.
About the WBC
The WBC at Florida Tech is funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. It is an outreach of the Nathan M. Bisk College of Business. The WBC grows entrepreneurial leaders and thinkers The center offers well-equipped facilities conveniently located at Florida Tech, teachers, mentors and volunteers with expertise and business knowledge, partnering with community organizations for broad outreach, and training and resources that are onsite and online to accommodate busy schedules and provide easy access.
